The charity which runs Hampton Court Palace says it is "very concerned" about plans to build nearly 100 flats in view of its historical Tudor site.

Developer Alexpo has submitted plans to build 97 apartments and an 84-bedroom hotel on the site of the former Jolly Boatman and the car park next to Hampton Court Station in East Molesey. The application includes plans to build a basement-level car park with 207 spaces.

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), which is responsible for the upkeep of the palace, says the plans would mean a reduction in available parking, and that surveys taken by the development do not "represent the true pattern of parking throughout the year".

The charity has expressed concerns that the development could impact the view of its visitors, with some sections appearing as a "uniform mass".

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Jolly Boatman Site

In a letter addressed to Elmbridge Borough Council on February 8, HRP said although it welcomed Alexpo's willingness to talk and look at alternative plans, it still had concerns about what had been submitted.

Among the concerns HRP has are how the development would look from the palace and how parking for visitors would be affected.

"As proposed, this elevation could appear as a uniform mass from the angle at which it would be seen from Barge Walk and the palace," it said.

"The scale of the north elevation of the four-storey riverside building appears over large, perhaps because of the number of sizeable windows it contains."

An image showing what developers claim the Jolly Boatman site would look like after construction (Image: Alexpo/Network Rail)

It added that it thought the parking study undertaken by the developer was "not comprehensive" and the development would lead to a reduction in the number of available parking spaces, as visitors to the palace park in station car park.

"Although the applicant has undertaken surveys of parking usage, our knowledge would indicate the surveys do not represent the true pattern of use of the car park throughout the year," it said.

The letter echoes concerns expressed by the Hampton Court Rescue Campaign (HCRC), a campaign group which has labelled the plans as "not acceptable".

Speaking in January, a spokesman for HCRC said: "The congestion, lack of parking and the increased height of Alexpo's current proposals remain very important concerns."

Responding to parking concerns on the development's website, Alexpo said that the car park is less than 50% full on a typical day.

It added that Network Rail, which owns the car park, has no commitment to non-rail passengers and could limit access to residents, rail users and hotel users only if that is needed.

Historic Royal Palaces has expressed concern over how the development will affect parking at Hampton Court Station (Image: Les Williams)

"It needs to be recognised that this car park is not provided for the benefit of Historic Royal Palaces," a spokesman said.

It added that it has changed the materials of some buildings to prevent the development being seen as a uniform block, and 10 further trees would be planted in cigarette park to screen the site from the palace.